Ronald McDonald Held Hostage Al Qaeda-Style

Ronald McDonald hasn't had a good month: After being abducted from a McDonald's in Helsinki and held hostage by a Finnish activist group called the Food Liberation Army, the famous mascot then met an unfortunate end.

And a certain fast food company is decidedly not amused ...

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The controversy began back in January when the FLA stole a fiberglass Ronald McDonald statue and produced an al Qaeda-style video showing the black-hooded statue surrounded by a group of masked men. The purpose of the publicity stunt? To get McDonald's to answer specific questions about the way it produces food and treating the animals it uses for food by threatening to execute its mascot.

But the plan backfired big time when McDonald's issued this statement in response:

McDonald’s is always available to engage in constructive conversations with our customers, stakeholders, and the media. This stunt is in very poor taste and not a responsible approach to meaningful dialogue.

Because the fast food giant did not comply with the FLA's demands by the deadline, Ronald was executed by guillotine.

The irony, of course, is that the members of the FLA actually purport to frequent McDonald's several times a month -- some even claim they are addicted. Allegedly the goal with this exercise was simply to help improve the food of their beloved restaurant. But you've got to wonder about these spots -- they seem to walk the line between uncomfortably funny and just in poor taste.